In addition to immersive research, the team also conducted literary background research in order to answer vital questions related to this project. These questions were constructed by the team to provide needed insight on arm injury demographics and common causes of injury. We also constructed questions that would allow us to gain insight into the accessibility, availability, and feasibility of “assistive technology”. Below is a list of these questions, along with the responses constructed from background research.
What are the injury demographics & statistics?
Several hundred thousand US residence visit the emergency room due to arm injuries every year. According to an article published in The Atlantic by Andrew Seaman, this number is climbing. The likelihood of an individual injuring their arm increases significantly with age; for women, this spike occurs in their 40’s and for men in their 60’s. This increase in injury rate is attributed to several factors such as falls, osteoporosis, and arthritis. With the aging population, the demographic of people in this vulnerable age group is growing and arm injuries are increasing. The current number of US residence coming into the emergency room for arm injuries is projected to rise by a third by 2030.
What are the most common causes of arm injuries?
According to the Mayo Clinic, the most common causes of broken arms include falls, sports injuries, significant trauma (ex. car accidents), and child abuse. These injuries can then lead to complications that inhibit the full use of one’s arm such as uneven growth, stiffness, bone infection, and more. The NIH also notes the areas in which injury can occur that can limit the use of one arm. Injury to the three main bones of the arm – the humerus, radius, and ulna – or any of the muscles, joints, tendons, and other connective tissue can be categorized as an arm injury, leading to limited mobility. In the Atlantic article, it is discussed that arm injuries are expected to spike within the next decade due to the fact that the youngest baby boomers are starting to reach the age of early 60s. They continue to dive into a study as to why this happens, and they first looked into who had the most common arm injuries out of 28 million visits to the emergency room. They noticed that 2 spikes were seen in the data one being from children between the age of 5 to 9 and the other being from older people. They then continued as to what was the cause of these injuries and noticed that almost 88% of these injuries were due to falls. This is seen more often in older people as well because of the fact that older people develop osteoporosis which causes the bone to be less dense.
What resources are available?
While searching for what resources are on the market for people with the use of only one hand, we stumbled upon an article listed on CreakyJoints that lists 21 assistive devices that are readily available for purchase on Amazon. Looking through this list, there were devices to assist people with disabilities in tasks related to cooking, eating, sitting, standing, and etc. But what we found to be most valuable were the devices related to clothing. The reason why our focus was on the clothing-related assistive technology in this list was that during our immersive research, we found that cleaning tasks involving zippers and buttons (such as folding or hanging clothes) to be quite difficult to accomplish with the use of only one hand. For example, in the list, there were two items called the “Vi&Vi PocketDresser Multi-Tool” and the “Vive Button Hook and Zipper Pull”. Both of these devices were designed to help people with disabilities button and zip their clothes while dressing, however, we believe they would also be very useful when it comes to storing clothes by making it easier to button and zip garments. Although, one challenge these devices don’t address, is the challenge of holding the garment stationary while attempting to close/open the button or zipper. But, we can agree that the device does provide some usefulness to the tasks and is somewhat affordable, being just under $25 for either item.
While searching for what services are available for people with the use of only one hand, we found some information from the World Health Organization (WHO) website pertaining to the socio-economic benefits and global challenges of obtaining assistive technology. Often when we think of available resources, we tend to look at them from a local or national perspective, such as state-funded disability services or National Social Security benefits. However, globally 9 out of 10 people in need do not have access to assistive technology (WHO). This insufficiency of resources is likely due to the lack of availability, the lack of awareness, high costs, unaccommodating policies, or the deficiency of trained personnel. For example, the assistive products industry is somewhat limited and specialized, catering mostly to a high-income market consisting of elderly end-users with age-related disabilities. This selective design process leaves gaps in the market for users outside of this demographic that require context-appropriate, user-centered product designs that apply to them and their needs. In a result, WHO is coordinating the Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology (GATE) initiative in order to provide global access to quality, affordable assistive technology. Currently, GATE has been promoting a user-centered approach to address users’ needs, developing tools to integrate assistive technology into national policy and programs, and developing an Assistive Product Training package to supply medical personnel with the proper training on assistive technology (GATE).
Assistive equipment and technology is a resource that can help an individual with daily tasks if they have suffered an arm injury. Sarah Lyon writes about the different categories of assistive technology in an article published on Verywell Health. Assistive technology is an item or product that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. Something unique about this technology is that it doesn’t have to be just for people with disabilities, it can be used by the general public as well. Think of voice recognition software, escalators, and ramps. Adaptive equipment on the other hand is specifically designed for people with disabilities. Adaptive equipment is often applied to everyday activities like kitchen tasks, getting dressed, and writing. Think of handheld shower nozzles or nonskid bowls, these things can still be of use for nondisabled users as well. Another category of assistive equipment and technology is durable medical equipment. Equipment in this category is categorized as something that lasts beyond 1-3 years, is for a specific medical use, and is generally not useful for someone who is not disabled. It’s helpful to understand the differences in categories of technology and the range of current designs and product uses.
What devices are currently on the market to assist those with the use of only one hand?
The assistive devices market empowers people to complete essential tasks related to food, health, and hygiene. In addition, there are now items to help one-handed people enjoy entertainment and games. Maddak | Aids for Daily Living is the largest web store dedicated to daily living tasks for people that need extra assistance to complete two-handed tasks. Their products are designed by professionals who understand occupational therapy needs.
What are the best practices?
Since the cost of available devices and therapies impacts potential users’ access to these resources, we decided to research the costs of these interventions.
Depending on a user’s age, the severity of their injury, and access to caretakers, they may need the help of an occupational therapist. According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), an occupational therapist is a practitioner that helps their patients “…live life to its fullest by helping them promote health, and prevent—or live better with—injury, illness, or disability” (AOTA.org).
Their patients can range from children who have disabilities and people recovering from serious injuries or cognitive changes. Each practitioner individualizes their support to meet the needs of their patients in order to provide “…customized intervention” (AOTA.org). Examples of the services or interventions that an occupational therapist can provide are helping the patient get dressed, drive, exercise, and learn how to use their medical devices and equipment. They can also provide recommendations about adjustments to home and work environments that can accommodate the patient.
On average, these services can cost about $150-$200 for an initial evaluation. Depending on the service, patients or their families can be charged anywhere between $50 to $400 dollars an hour according to Cost Helper Health. However, if the patient has insurance, this cost can be reduced by half. In addition to paying the occupational therapist, patients may also have to purchase additional equipment that they can use to regain their independence.